Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Inspirational Journals and Your Classroom

Salvador Dali was an amazing artist. Maybe you don’t care for his work. Granted, it’s bizarre. But he must be admired for his revolutionary vision and creative style. His art is filled with images and concepts unlike any other artist….images that many would find scary, even bordering on psychotic.

Perhaps Dali’s work is viewed as unique because he used his dream-inspired visions as the theme for his compositions. Dali reportedly held a big wad of keys in his hand and sat in a huge, throne-like chair about 20 feet from a blank canvas. As his body and mind relaxed into a meditative, near-dreamlike state, he would drop the keys and be jolted back into conscious awareness. He then ran to the canvas and began painting those dream-inspired visions. Dali’s work gained critical acclaim from an artistic community ripe for change and diversity.

I love to tell my students this story about Dali’s innovative search for expanded creativity beyond the “norm.” It works. It’s simple. It’s easy and effective.

I require each of my students to start an inspirational journal. It doesn’t have to be a pricey book. A simple spiral pad from the Dollar Store will work. Or you can splurge and gift yourself a beautiful and meaningful journal – perhaps a keepsake from the gift shop of a favorite museum store or gallery.

The purpose is simple…..to record all your private visions and sacred thoughts…..to keep sketches and pictures of coveted designs……to wake in the middle of the night and quickly jot thoughts before they fleetingly elude you in waking hours. Keep it with you at all times and treat it like a sacred tome. Guard its contents. It is the essence of your sacred self and inner artist.

I’ve been honored through the years to see the evolution of my students’ creative journeys through their journals. Some of them have filled multiple books. They see the value of recording what motivates and inspires them. They have grown personally and artistically by filling their books with random thoughts, dream visions, even pictures of jewelry clipped from magazines.

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